The Blood King
by rabastan04
Summary: "Story of Trick, the not so humble bartender. Or as I call it, my answer on the questions/statements: "Why is Trick insensitive towards Kenzi and Lauren in s3? and "By the way, I just realized it took Trick two years to reveal his full identity to Bo."


The Blood King

Rated: K+, Gen Trick's story!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Lost Girl and do not wish to offend anyone with this story. All in good fun and meant to be a sincere form of flattery. Thanks.

A/N: I'm bacccccckkkkkkk! Finally! After nearly 3 months, I have managed to finish this fic! Hurray for me! By the way, it's not particularly good but I felt compelled to write it (watching Trick in season 3 and the changes in his character which both befuddled and irritated and intrigued me) and then it proceeded to keep me hostage for the last 2 months, dragging on while I scrambled for inspiration. Anyway, I'll let you get to it, if you still want to. More author's notes at the end.

Note: I did not re-watch Lost Girl to write this so some erroneous little details are probably wrong. I'm sorry.

A dramatic re-telling of Trick's story (as I said already) - also can be considered Aife's background.

* * *

Blood sages are naturally impulsive. Rare and impossibly powerful creatures, nature sought to balance their presence by giving them this characteristic, thereby ensuring that they burn out quickly, consumed by their own abilities.

But Trick is different.

He has control and he understands the consequences of his powers.

Maybe it's because he's slightly afraid of it, of himself. He feels its seduction every time he uses his blood, feels the temptation to let go and do his worst to the world. But he's scared too. Because Trick is also keenly aware that he is alone.

He has never known his parents - he's not even sure if either one was the same species as him - and has been raised by fae that regarded him from the beginning with awe and respect.

Trick has never known another blood sage except the ones in stories, but if he did, he would like to ask them if they felt the creeping madness - always there, lurking- every time they spilled their blood.

Their willpower and the amount of blood they use determines the strength and effect of their magic and sometimes, Trick would feel a pull, an urge, to just let the power build and build as the blood trickled down. In those fleeting moments, there is only him and his blood, with no thought to wielding the power he is harnessing. There is only vague delight and a sense of certainty that death will be pleasurable beyond imagination.

Maybe it wasn't just their impulsivity that killed blood sages. Maybe there was something fundamentally wrong in their brains too, compounded by using their powers, that made them nearly suicidal. It was probably the only way for them to exist in this world that they could so easily destroy.

And so Trick has learned to be careful and this sets him apart. He's not just an ordinary sage, but the Blood King, ruler supreme of the Light fae kingdom. The Dark fae are rightfully wary of him and find him a formidable opponent.

Trick won't lie, he likes the power and position. He enjoys being king.

But lately, it has become tiring. With days like today - hours and hours cooped up in a room with ten other men, all glaring at a map and arguing about war tactics - becoming an almost daily occurrence, he's not so sure it's worth it.

Another war. A never-ending circle of fighting, killing and dying. He wasn't even sure when it started or who started it; he only inherited it and like all others, fell into the same routine of bloodshed.

Sometimes he thinks it's just their nature as fae: to not be content and grow bored of their long, long lives, that they have reduced warring to a _sport_ for their entertainment.

Trick is about to lose his temper when someone knocks on the door, distracting him.

His council looks irritated by the interruption but the tension in the room dissipates in an instant when they see who has dared disturbed them.

It is his queen. His beloved mate. Ysabeau.

Gentle and wise and adored by all, she is his other half and the other reason why Trick has survived this long.

She keeps him grounded and stable. She is his rock to lean on, his respite when he is weary and her calm presence keeps his blood madness at bay.

She smiles at him and then at everyone, suggesting a small break.

Everyone agrees that it is high time for one and leave without arguing, bowing courteously as they pass her by.

Trick catches her eyes and he can see the amusement in them.

He feels his spirits lifting up but he catches sight of the map again, and he thinks, _Something has to change soon_.

xxx

Except for his wife, no one is aware that Trick can actually stop the war with his abilities. Everyone knows him to be a powerful man, but so far none have dared to ask why he didn't just end everything with a flick of his pen. Perhaps they thought that the conflict between Light and Dark was just too big, too complicated and impossible, even for him. Blood King or not, he was still mortal fae and must have a limit.

So far, Trick hasn't found that limit yet.

But it doesn't matter what his subjects know anyway, because Trick has promised himself a thousand times that he wouldn't use his powers to end the war, no matter how frustrating and disheartening it has become. He jokingly tells himself it would be cheating, but there's a grain of truth buried in there somewhere too. Cheating can produce results, but often, they come with consequences that just further complicates everything.

It's the same with using his powers. While ending the war permanently was an attractive idea, he just couldn't be sure how much the inevitable penalty would cost him. And whatever it is, he's not sure the ceasefire would be worth it.

Instead, he waits for the fae to get tired of the constant fighting on their own and hopes for a time of peace, even as he sends out his army again and again to meet the enemy's in battle.

xxx

The Lady Elmeth has grown much stronger lately and became more than a nuisance to Trick. He has always held the advantage but lately, it seems that he was always caught in a rout, his men defeated easily and left to scramble for their lives.

It drives him mad and he grows more and more impatient with the fighting, feeling desperate enough to _start_ thinking about using his power to end it.

Ysabeau is always there to keep him calm and make him see reason, but the stress of the war has taken its toll in their marriage too. He finds that for the first time, they cannot reach a compromise with their opposing views.

They both want peace, but Ysabeau wants him to find it with an old friend of her family: Horvis, the leader of the Dark army and the same man who orders the deaths of his soldiers. He is more than wary of trusting such a person, but the way Ysabeau talked about him also rankles Trick.

She speaks of childhood memories and a relationship he wasn't privy to. It irritates him and makes him more stubborn, makes him dig his heels in.

All in all, it was a simple argument that should've been resolved in time. Ysabeau could've probably talked him around and Trick would've probably given in, recognizing his wife's wise counsel as always, but instead, Trick comes home one day to the tragic news of Ysabeau's death in the hands of bandits.

It is a crippling blow and the pain almost staggers him to his knees. He somehow stops himself from crying out and makes it to his private chamber, stone faced. His servant trails after him, confused by his silence, but dutifully spouting the rest of the details of the attack. His mind has already began to shut down and he almost - almost, but not quite! - misses the part where Ysabeau has apparently disobeyed his orders and went to meet Horvis behind his back anyway, who has also fallen victim to the assault.

Despite his tremendous grief, he automatically calculates the consequences of the general's death and a certain recklessness takes over Trick.

He knew that the news of the deaths will not be taken lightly, and will most probably be seen as a heinous act of betrayal by both sides. Everyone will believe that it was a planned assassination by either camp - for who would believe that a Dark general and a Light queen can be brought down by simple bandits - and it will fuel a fire that could rage for centuries.

And Trick is just so tired and so sad and his mate was dead anyway. His promises suddenly holds no value, and he doesn't even hesitate as he takes out his kit and cuts his hand, writing the fae laws that he and his wife has already envisioned before, as they dreamt of peace. And it was so easy, once he got started, the words pouring almost effortlessly as he writes and writes until darkness takes him.

xxx

When Trick wakes up, he realizes immediately that he has passed out from blood loss and learns from a nearby servant that he has been asleep for two days. This wasn't anything out of the ordinary for him.

What was shocking instead, was waking up to a strange, new world.

It is a world that he does not recognize; it is a world where his mate is dead and gone forever.

A world where the Light and Dark are making overtures for peace and _meaning_ it, both dedicated to make it stick this time.

A world changed by his blood, he realizes.

Trick is horrified by it. His magic did this. He should feel powerful but in that moment, he can only feel a sense of panic as he grew frightened of his powers.

He feels sick as people come to congratulate him, to thank him, honor him - and others even, to revere him - as the "architect" of this newfound peace.

They know him as the one responsible for the Fae Laws that allow for the careful detente now, but no one suspects the extent of the changes he has made in their reality. Every fae that Trick has carefully questioned reveals that the Dark and Light factions have tried to make peace many times already - an absurd lie to his ears - but it wasn't only until Trick crafted the laws were they able to meet without conflict.

They think their Queen was really murdered by bandits, and although they mourned her loss greatly, they do not feel the same sense of betrayal and agony that Trick feels even then.

It was like everyone has started to live in a bubble, where their warring past is a distant memory, wavy and distorted.

Bewildered and frightened and still grieving, Trick pulls himself together and tries to find the silver lining in the situation. He knows that there will be costly consequences to using his blood, but he is determined to make it worth it. This change, this world he has unintentionally created, would be worth his sacrifices. Worth his wife's life.

He would make it so, even if it was the last thing he did.

So he buries himself into solidifying the peace and tries to ignore his own pain.

He forgets that he's not the only one aching still.

xxx

He hears the commotion first, long before she comes in. There were startled shouts and people scurrying around to prepare, to obey, to get out of the way, as finally, his daughter stumbles onto his presence.

"Aife," he breathes out in surprise, his heart clenching hard at the sight of her tears.

"Father!" his daughter wails out, before falling over to grasp him in a hard hug. "Mother... she's..." She can hardly speak for the sobs racking her body and Trick hugs her harder, even as he orders everyone away with a flick of his fingers.

"Daughter..." he sighs painfully, her obvious grief ripping apart the false calm he has established since he buried his wife last week. It was all he could do not to collapse alongside her on the throne room's stone floor.

"I can't... Father, she couldn't be dead..." Aife says shaking her head in denial. "Mother couldn't... tell me it's not true, please, tell me, Father..."

Trick's face crumples and he wants more than anything to indulge his daughter... but this is the one thing he couldn't change with his blood. Even for fae, death was final and absolute.

They wind up on her rooms, Trick cradling his daughter, as she passes out from her exhausting grief.

He frowns as he realizes with a stab of guilt that he has completely forgotten about his child in the wake of recent events. They haven't seen each other in near a decade but that was no excuse either.

They have a difficult relationship, her daughter and him. Both too similar in temperament, always clashing; both too stubborn for their own good, Ysabeau always said fondly, the memory of her stinging him anew.

It wasn't just his hard-headedness though, Aife also got his cursed impulsiveness.

Although she was no sage but a succubus instead, he cannot help but worry about her anyway, his anxiety pushing him to try and control her. He wants so badly to protect her from any danger, especially if the greatest danger is her own self.

It was easier when she was younger, when she followed him around adoringly and sought his approval for everything. She has been Trick's spoiled princess then. But then Aife grew up and discovered her powers - discovered that she can make almost anyone fall for her and give in to her whims, not just her father - and she drifted away from him. She grew closer to her mother instead, who was half-succubus as well, while her relationship with Trick rapidly deteriorated.

It has been a vicious loop: the more Aife used her powers, the more worried Trick grew, leading him to try and hold her back. His controlling ways only provoked her to rebelling more, and starting the cycle all over again.

Trick sometimes imagines that the both of them would never have survived Aife's puberty years if it weren't for Ysabeau, who was the only one who could get them to listen to reason.

But even with her influence, they still bickered endlessly when together - Trick finding Aife too frustratingly reckless and Aife finding him too infuriatingly cautious - until it became easier to just avoid staying in each other's presence for too long.

All of this comes rushing back, as Trick struggles to deal with his daughter now.

It hasn't been more than five minutes since she has woken up and yet, they were near to shouting already. He is a bag of conflicting emotions, the chief of which is the crippling loneliness at the thought that Ysabeau will never mediate between him and Aife ever again; but it was quickly getting pushed back by the rising aggravation that his daughter naturally provokes in him.

"Father! What do you mean you won't? The Dark killed Mother! We have to avenge her!" she says, almost snarling at him with the force of her rage.

And watching her, Trick is suddenly struck by a startling realization: she is like him, the same as she was before and unaffected by his blood magic.

For a moment, Trick feels relieved to find that he wasn't the only one left behind. Here was his daughter too, someone to share his burdens with.

"They're calling you the architect of peace, Father," Aife says, cutting into his thoughts. "They say you've brought it upon us, but I don't understand. The laws... even if it came from you, I don't understand how everyone could just suddenly agree not to fight anymore... It's almost unnatural," she finishes, the last part is whispered softly but Trick hears and manages not flinch.

Trick holds his breath and waits, but his daughter doesn't make the connection. Maybe, like everyone, she believes that it was beyond the scope of his powers.

He feels a sudden hesitance to confess and before he can decide, her next words makes the decision for him.

"It doesn't matter," Aife insists, her earlier confusion hardening into anger again. "Mother is dead and someone has to pay for that."

Trick firms his jaw and strides to the centre of the room before turning to face his daughter. "No," he says simply.

"No? No, what?" Aife asks but she read the answer in Trick's face anyway. She lets out a disbelieving scoff and stands up to pace as well. "I can't believe this. You're just letting this go? Mother was murdered and what? You're here playing saviour of the fae?"

Trick has been determined to ignore Aife but the last accusation comes too close to home and he snaps. "How dare you talk to me like that?!" he roars angrily.

"I dare!" Aife says defiantly, stepping closer and looking down on him with all the injured pride and hurt she can muster. "Because this is Mother we're talking about and yet here you are -"

"Stop!" Trick interrupts forcefully, startling Aife to comply. "Do you think I don't grieve her death? She was my mate!" He gives her another pointed glare before his shoulders slump in defeat. "I would give anything to see her alive again but you and I both know that nothing would bring her back." When Aife makes as if to answer that, Trick holds up a hand to stop her. "Vengeance is meaningless, daughter." He pauses and his face turns grim. "But even so, I would also gladly avenge her death a million times over..."

"I don't understand," Aife begins, her earlier rage waning to puzzlement. "If you felt the same, then..."

"Because she wouldn't have wanted me to," Trick says tiredly. "Not when it could ruin everything."

Aife understands immediately. "You mean this so-called peace?"

"Yes. Your mother wanted it more than anything, we both did, and if by dying, she had made it safer for everyone, then she would have considered it a worthy end of her life." Trick turns pleading eyes to his daughter, begging for understanding. "This is why we can't be so careless anymore. We have to preserve the detente for her. To make her sacrifice worth it."

Instead, Aife lets loose a filthy curse that burns Trick's ears. Shocked, he rounds on her furiously. "I can tolerate many things Daughter, but not you talking that way about your mother..." he starts to threaten before she cuts him off.

"What sacrifice? She was caught unawares and barely even had time to defend herself! It would be different if she went into combat but it was just a simple meeting, her life shouldn't have been lost in the first place! Those filthy dogs must've done something, sabotage or assassination..."

"It doesn't matter," Trick says sadly, shaking his head, "We can't risk setting off the war again, not now that we finally have some semblance of order..."

Aife has started to cry again. "It's unfair, Father. She... she deserved to be here, to see this..." Wiping her tears impatiently, she straightens up and Trick sees the stubborn clench of her jaw.

"Aife..."

"I can't just let it go like this, Father. Mother deserves better from us." Her obvious disappointment in him hurts but the change in her expression alarms him.

"Aife! You cannot...!"

"No, father. _You_ cannot. I can and I will," Aife declares, her eyes shining with determination.

"As princess of this kingdom, you have a responsibility to your people! You're older now, and with Ysabeau gone, you have to step up..." It's the wrong thing to say. Aife glares at him one last time before turning around, leaving for good.

xxx

He doesn't see her but he hears about her activities, and worries at the way she skirts near treason.

Aife indulges herself in petty acts of mischief against the Dark- pranks really - that doesn't help the consolidation of peace.

He suspects that she plans to provoke the Dark into breaking faith first but Trick is able to anticipate her, foiling her plans by using his blood.

He keeps it simple though, using it for the most mundane things, like tweaking certain events or objects - for example, a carriage wheel breaking at the last moment, to prevent a possible raid of a Dark supply wagon at a certain stretch of road -, because he is too afraid to do more. After all, he is still waiting for the consequences from the last time he abused his power.

But he can't stop either, for he must do all he can to preserve the peace.

It's also for Aife's safety as well because as princess, she must not be linked to these things. Already there has been mumblings from the general populace, about her prolonged absence from court.

Trick is near despair when the inevitable finally happens. This time, his spies weren't able to ferret out Aife's plan. At least, not quick enough for him to do anything about it.

He knows that they won't be able to keep up this game for long and that he won't be able to protect her forever.

He thinks now that maybe he should've just tracked her down and talked to her, and then he could've done something... anything, to comfort his daughter and find a way to share their grief. Or maybe this tragedy _was_ a consequence of blood magic; no matter how frivolous, he has used it often enough to fill a number of books already.

Or better yet, maybe this was no supernatural thing gone wrong, but simply the effect of his meddling into Aife's plans, thus forcing her to be more drastic in her actions.

So many maybes, and none of them remotely helpful to him now, Trink thinks grimly. For Aife's crime is so much more than a prank this time.

In a rare show of cunning for someone as impatient as her, Aife managed to stage a small coup in the Dark palace and killed a clan leader. She escapes but some of her... co-conspirators got caught and immediately pointed their fingers at her as their ringleader.

Trick learns of all this just before the runner from the Dark arrives and he barely manages to steel himself before receiving the Dark king's message.

It was simple and to the point, almost bland in the delivery, but nevertheless, Trick felt the clear threat implied. It says that the Dark wishes to remind the Light that the treasonous act perpetrated to their king was punishable by death, and if Trick should refuse to hand over the criminal, they will take it as an act of war.

It was an impossible situation.

His daughter's life in exchange for continued peace.

(He suddenly wishes that his blood works on changing people's minds too, but that has always been trickier to accomplish and he can't experiment now, with so many lives at stake.)

Trick feels guilty that he can't immediately pick his daughter, but he consoles himself with the justification that as king, he has a duty to his people and the greater good.

_But if it were Ysabeau, I wouldn't hesitate_, Trick thinks randomly and staggers, winded, as the thought fully registers. Guilt is not enough to explain how he feels right now and he thinks he'll get swallowed whole by his emotions.

_This is it; what I've been waiting for. The consequences... I'm, this is my punishment,_ Trick realizes and somehow, this shocks him back to his senses. He has been waiting for it, after all, and prepared himself.

He feels something inside him close up and he is suddenly able to look at the issue with a clear head, without the distraction of his devastating feelings.

If he chooses her, he will undo everything that Ysabeau has paid for with her life. It will all be worthless. He will have changed the world for nothing, if they go back to the fighting, and he would still have to pay the price of his magic.

xxx

He half expected never to see her again but Aife eventually shows up, a month later, looking haunted and ragged. She gives his guards a slip and manages to get into his private chamber unseen.

She startles him with hushed cry of "Father!" as he prepares for bed.

"Aife," Trick says after he recovers, and walks to her, taking her hand urgently. "My daughter, what have you done?"

"Father... he... mother... I had to," she answers haltingly, unable to form a proper response. She is jittery and nervous, glancing to the door and the windows often. "I had to do it, for mother's sake..." She turns wet, pleading eyes to him. "Father, help me, please, please..."

"Aife," Trick begins, blinking back tears of his own. "I..."

She must've sensed his hesitation because she grabs his hands tightly and says, "Father, they will kill me if they find me! You have to protect me! You have to!"

"Aife," Trick says, his voice grave. "I told you..."

"Father please!" she collapses to her knees in front of him, grasping his shirt desperately. "Please, please, help me, don't let them take me please..."

Trick looks down on his abject daughter and feels his heart harden, even as his tears finally escape him.

"I'm sorry, Aife," he whispers.

She looks up to him in alarm and reads the decision in his face. She tries to escape but with a single shout from him, guards come rushing into his room. Her face transforms into a snarl then, and her hands into claws that tear at his skin in an effort to hurt and hold on.

"I will never forgive you for this!" she swears as the guard pull her away from him. "Never!"

She tries to put up a fight and use her powers then, but she's barely begun to feed when one hits her hard on the head, rendering her unconscious.

That was the last Trick saw of his daughter.

xxx

His subjects, once they learn of the entire sordid affair, applaud his decision. They call him a hero and a protector and Aife is vilified as a dangerous, chaotic rebel.

It makes him sick.

He knows what he's done (_He has sent his only child to her death!_) and nothing will ever change that. Even if it was for the good of all, he will always bear that burden.

Trick only stays long enough to ensure that the peace will last. When a new council is formed and the position of Ash is created, he steps down as King and disappears.

It's also the last time he'll use his blood, when he signs off the last of the treaties.

He wanders all over the world for centuries, hiding his identity, until at last only his legend remains.

He makes connections - takes lovers here and there, forms alliances and partnerships - but they are all temporary and eventually he moves on. No one touches his heart.

He meets Dyson on the battlefield for one of the humans' war (Trick refuses to see the irony that after solving the fae's great war, he promptly joins a human one instead.) and for the first time in a long, long while, he finds a true friend in the shifter.

Perhaps he sensed that Dyson was like him in some ways, a man carrying the burden of a life they've failed to save. In any case, he finds the shifter loyal and steadfast, and eventually, Trick reveals his true self to him.

xxx

Trick has just discovered that of all the occupations he has tried before, he enjoys keeping bar the most. He thinks it's almost the same as when he was king, having a chance to listen to people's woes and occasionally advise them, but at the same time, not have the ultimate responsibility to their lives and well-being. He doesn't even mind fetching drinks for strangers all day like a servant.

He was just about to invest in his own tavern, when he hears a wild rumor about a succubus.

It makes him flinch, as all mentions of that particular fae species still affects him so. But he can't help himself anyway; he listens to the rumors.

It was an extraordinary tale to be sure: a Dark fae lord has a succubus slave and he is keeping her in a dungeon. For one, humans are the usual slaves, not fae. For two, even if a fae was taken as a servant, a succubus cannot and will not be one, as they are willful creatures that answer only to themselves.

Trick can't really think of anyone "taming" one... not unless they have a Koushang pendant which would protect them from a succubus' feed. But that's impossible because the current Ash holds the only one left in existence.

After he hears the story, he feels a nagging tingle in his gut that the succubus in question is his daughter.

It sets him off on an obsessive path, the possibility that Aife is still alive somehow.

Diligently, he gathers more stories of the succubus prisoner, tracking leads and following the trail. When Dyson expresses concern, he is forced to tell his friend a story of a kinswoman that he has failed before. (He cannot bear to see Dyson turn away from him if he knew the truth.) It takes him decades, before Trick is able to prove that it _is _his daughter.

The moment he does, he is filled with a bittersweet feeling that makes him ache.

Part of him never really believed that Aife is still alive but now that he knows she is, he feels a renewed sense of horror as he imagines her in all the stories he has collected. A slave in the dungeons, caught by a capricious, cruel Dark fae.

He tries to find her then, and maybe rescue her, but he can't even get close. It's like chasing the wind, only harder and more impossible. Gathering stories was difficult enough, but to get to their source just leaves him feeling like an incompetent idiot, rather than the famous blood king of epic songs. Frustration seeps into him slowly but surely, until there is nothing left but a weary resignation.

He thinks of using his blood sometimes, but after centuries of abstinence, he has become less reliant on it. He has never fully shaken off the guilt that clings to him at the thought of his powers and he is still plagued by the old concerns (_To have saved his wife or not; to have stopped the war earlier or never; to not sacrificing his daughter.) _knowing he'll never be free of these doubts and regrets. Using his powers will bring it all back to the front - this anchor that has weighed him down for almost half a millennia now - and he cannot face it head on once again.

The fear of doing so - of finally confronting his past and not hiding behind his good intentions - is enough to paralyze him. It is easier to push it aside once more, to ignore his real self and the temptation of his power and pretend that he is nothing more than an ordinary barkeep.

xxx

Trick keeps a passive eye on Aife's situation as best as he could, occasionally trying to catch on to her if he heard a more reliable rumor.

But as years set in, he becomes more disillusioned and everything becomes... routine. Sometimes he can still feel the sting of his conscience reminding him of the past, but mostly it's just Trick going through the motions. He has a life of his own after all, and he has discovered that humans are more amusing than he first realized. He has kept some as pets before, when he was still king, but they were part of his large menagerie and he barely remembers if they had personalities of their own. At any rate, humans these days are more sophisticated and he enjoys watching their mortal lives, tracking their progress carefully throughout the years.

At one point, he even hires his services to a human-run tavern and takes up with a beautiful maid for a casual dalliance.

It was during this time that Aife escapes her prison.

The whole affair barely makes ripples in the fae community. Aside for some hushed concern from the older members of the council who still remembers the trouble that Aife nearly caused, the story of the escaped succubus is not considered very interesting. Maybe she was someone's mistress, as so often many of her species are, - willing whores, the lot of them - gotten bored with her consort and decided to runaway. Why would the fae care for her? The peace has dulled their senses, made them complacent and more self-involved.

For Trick, the news is a shock.

For a minute, he is overwhelmed by feelings that have been dormant for so long. He alternates quickly between relieved glee and panicked dread. His mind races as he thinks of the words he wants to say to her: the apologies and explanations; the new promises to be a better father - to protect her from those who will pursue her, like he has failed to do so before.

He envisions their meeting so clearly and he yearns for it so keenly that when reason finally comes back, he feels an acute pain in his chest, almost like someone has physically torn off a vital piece of it.

Because it's all just wishful thinking after all.

Aife will never come to him because she hates him.

He has seen it in her eyes the last time they were together and Trick still remembers that day clearly: bitter curses and betrayed eyes that has haunted his dreams for centuries.

No, Aife will never ask for his help again.

At the sobering realization, Trick feels uncertainty flood his being. He is suddenly hesitant about seeing Aife again, and he begins to second guess himself. Should he pursue her himself and force a confrontation? Or would it be better to wait for her to come to him, to accept whatever attention she deigned to give him, even if it was the vindictive kind?

He was still pondering the answer to this dilemma when the question was taken out of his hands.

New information reaches his ears that makes him put aside his worries, intrigued enough to determine its veracity.

For some reason, Aife was seen with a Dark Fae midwife.

It takes him a while to track the midwife but when he does, with proper motivation, it's easy enough to get her talking with . And her story... it simply blew his mind away.

A granddaughter.

Aife has a daughter.

_His grandchild._

The revelation catches him badly unaware and hits like a hurtling truck.

It makes him dizzy and disoriented, wondering why it never even occurred to him that this was a possibility. The thought of a grandchild feels impossible, and he realizes..._he has given up long ago_ - given up on family even as he tried to find Aife, given up on the future and the thought moving on. He is nearly immortal but his life is empty and he has been content with that. Accepted it and hoped only to live as a simple fae.

But as Trick recovers from his shock, he finds himself filled with curiosity and a budding sense of excitement over this newest member of his family. Who is her father? Where is Aife now and why did she give her daughter up? _Where_ _is his granddaughter_?

The midwife only said that she gave the baby away to humans, as Aife had instructed her. At that time, Trick has been too overwhelmed to ask for more specific details.

It took Trick another couple of months before he finally finds his grandchild and he immediately hurries to her location.

She is already a year old by then, living in a farm with her adopted parents, in a small town called Grimley, famous for their cherry festivals.

Her name is Beth Dennis.

The moment he sees her, he is struck by her resemblance to a baby Aife and Trick feels his heart pinch sweetly at the memory. The twinkling, curious eyes, those plump cheeks and that tuft of brown hair; for a second, he longs to take her to him and cradle her gently in his arms and never let her go. He watches her intently, strapped to a walker contraption, clapping her hands delightedly at the blowing sheets of laundry that her adoptive mother is hanging out to dry.

With his contacts, it will be nothing for him to take her now - to fabricate a plausible story and relevant paperwork - and claim her as his.

But he remembers that he still doesn't know who her father is and that Aife is still somewhere out in the world, also biding her time. He has no doubt that she is also watching the child and it tempers the tenderness he is feeling. Despite a small sense of guilt, he becomes... _wary_, of the child.

Trick knows that she is an innocent, but young as she is, _Beth_ is already connected to bigger things and that she will never be an ordinary child.

His small daydreams of raising him herself fades as he contemplates the child's mysterious connections. He can't just take her willy-nilly without investigating further, and really, what was he thinking? He was too old to take care of a baby.

Even as Trick backs away from the sight of his granddaughter, he is hit with a certain knowledge that they will meet again later. He is startled by the thought, knowing that it came from his powers. His blood magic can also grant him prescience of the future but to achieve so requires complex means. However in rare occasions, he gets accurate insights of events to come and he believes that has happened now.

He feels a burst of confidence assuaging his worries, so he turns away and leaves, resolved to wait for Beth to find him later.

xxx

For him, time passes as it always does.

Which is why he is startled to realize that it has been almost three decades since he last saw Beth.

He_ has_ been waiting for her but it still takes him by surprise to learn that the new fae that has set everyone abuzz is his grandchild.

She's a succubus, he learns quickly and unsurprisingly; an out-of-control one that has left her feed in the open for humans to stumble upon.

For a second, he regrets not being there for her after all, for everything he could have taught her. But he thinks that they have that chance now and there's no more time for regret because for some reason - and he really shouldn't be so surprised by this either, Aife's child should have her knack for attracting trouble - both the Ash and the Morrigan take uncommon interest in Beth.

Or rather, Bo.

He sees her in the warehouse for the first time. He expected to see Aife looking back at him but instead it's a beautiful, younger version of his wife and he is hit all at once with joy, affection, lust and breath-taking pain. For a moment, it is all he can do to take her in, drink her features and enjoy this near miraculous vision.

But then she moves - talking to Dyson, he notes - and there he sees Aife's features and his' too in her face.

Bo. She calls herself Bo. He wonders how she picked the same nickname that his wife had; he thinks that maybe Aife has named her child after her mother, and Bo has discovered it after being Beth for so long.

It suits her better than Beth, Trick thinks as he watches her in the Gathering, feeling an odd pride rise in him as she easily dispatches her opponents despite the lack of training.

But wariness and caution rises back up again when Bo refuses to join a side and chooses to remain neutral.

He acts quickly to ensure that she won't suffer for her choice, persuading the Ash and the Morrigan to investigate first why Bo was deliberately hidden in the human world. They agree and Trick is satisfied for the moment. It's not like he condones Bo's decision - he knows very well that neutrality is never a real choice and that she'll be forced to choose sooner or later - but the situation meets his ulterior motive for the moment.

Because for 29 years now, he has neither seen nor heard a single thing concerning Aife. It was as if she has vanished completely. It has actually been easier to gather information on her when she was still imprisoned and sometimes Trick fears that the midwife has lied to him and that his daughter is already dead from childbirth.

But now, with both the Morrigan and the Ash's resources, he knows that they'll stumble upon her sooner or later.

In the meantime, Trick refrains from revealing his identity to Bo just yet. He warns Dyson to keep his secret and introduces himself to her as a simple, concerned barkeep.

As much as he wants to acknowledge their relationship, he can't allow his emotions to dictate his actions. Aife is his priority and she will probably surface soon when rumors of her succubus daughter reach her.

There's also a part of Trick that looks at Bo coldly, wondering who her other parent is and how their blood influences her. For all that she is Trick's granddaughter, she is also a stranger. He doesn't know anything about her beyond her succubi nature, and that is not exactly reassuring.

He wants to observe her, see how she handles herself and her proclaimed neutrality in this world she has stumbled upon.

xxx

As he has already noted before, Bo is her mother's daughter indeed in finding trouble.

She claims herself a human right from the beginning, a scrawny street-rat named Kenzi, and attempts to establish herself as a "fae investigator".

As far as jobs go, that isn't too bad and will allow her to immerse herself in the fae world.

It is the human that concerns him. A pet is fine - he won't begrudge his granddaughter one, of course - but he can already see that she is unnaturally attached to it. Bo treats Kenzi like real family.

He can understand it for the most part, considering what he has learned of Bo's recent past as a fugitive runaway, but he is concerned that she hasn't fully realized the danger of attaching herself to a mortal.

Another issue that pops up is Bo's unexpected association with another human: the Light Fae chief medical officer, Dr. Lewis. While he can admit that the doctor is brilliant and certainly a rare find, she is still ward of the Ash and therefore her motives for helping Bo are suspect.

And as if her weekly disastrous/barely-escaped 'adventures' on the job weren't enough, she also manages to make Dyson and Lauren fall for her. He doesn't know which one infuriates him more - the disappointment in a long time friend or the slight horror that she was taking Lauren seriously.

Trick begins to believe that Bo was actually sent to torment him after centuries of relative peace.

And yet...

Despite all these things, he does not regret meeting her. As he grows to learn more about Bo, he finds himself in awe, both proud and happy for her accomplishments. Even Kenzi grows on him unexpectedly, the little human proving interesting and feisty and fiercely loyal. Lauren too is gentler and more intelligent than he realized and even with their human presence, all of them - him, Dyson and Hale too, - form a small... _family_, revolving around Bo.

Bo has her mother's charm and his stubbornness and her grandmother's big heart. People around her cannot help but be drawn to her and for the first time in a long time, he feels genuinely happy. Bo brings life back to his dull routine, challenging and engaging him, re-kindling his interest in his own species as he plays the part of her mentor.

It is enough for the moment.

xxx

Dyson asks when he'll tell Bo about their relationship - the simple kinsman story he has fabricated for the shifter before - but Trick puts him off indefinitely.

He should tell Bo who he is soon, but he is still hesitant. He tries to tell himself it's about Aife but it's no longer the entire truth either. A large part of his hesitance now roots itself in his curiosity over Bo.

Bo is unlike any other fae he has ever known and her actions both frustrate and puzzle him. She is a wonder to watch and Trick is loathe to give that privilege up yet. Revealing their relationship will change it and he is not ready for that.

And perhaps he's also hesitant to reveal anything because then he must surely reveal everything and he is definitely, absolutely not ready yet.

xxx

When Aife finally shows herself, Trick almost misses her. She cleverly uses a different name and approaches Bo sideways, pretending to be a new-in-town succubus. There's not even a hint of her presence and when they finally discover her, it is almost too late. Dyson is nearly killed and in a blink of an eye, the war is on the brink of starting again.

Trick is left dizzy at the speed of unfolding events but there's no more time to take a breath and re-group. Dyson forces his hand when he reveals Aife's true identity to Bo. He feels betrayed and frantic at the unexpected loss of footing (_It isn't supposed to be like this at all. __**Aife is his**__; his burden to carry, his to face and his to keep away from everyone.)_, but he is also resigned that this must come to pass.

Grudgingly, he begins to tell Aife's story to an intent Bo and their audience of a tense Dyson and a curious Kenzi.

"I let your mother down long before you were born. I failed her," Trick begins, his voice already heavy with regret.

He wishes briefly that he can be alone with his granddaughter for this but Bo moves toward him, her gaze intent and serious, and at the last minute, he finds himself repeating the words he has told Dyson instead.

"She was of... my clan," he says, choking down that final secret. The look in Bo's eyes abruptly reminds him of Ysabeau and how despite his wife's gentle nature, she can be the fiercest creature when defending her own. He panics and he cannot... he cannot bear for those eyes to look at him in even more disappointment. For how else can Bo look at him otherwise when she hears of how he has betrayed her mother. His daughter.

But as he tells the story, his panic bleeds out and there's only the bone deep tiredness that he feels whenever he thinks of the war. Kenzi expresses amazement when Dyson explains his true powers but Trick doesn't feel powerful at all. Just, sad.

"Nothing that powerful comes without a price, as I've learned," he says softly to Kenzi.

But Bo cuts in, impatient for the whole story, "So, what went wrong?"

And Trick lays it out for her. How Aife cannot forgive and forget, her crimes against the Dark fae and Trick's decision to give her up.

"Are you telling me everything?" Bo asks shrewdly and here was Trick's chance to reveal everything but he only hesitates for a second before he says, "Yes."

Bo has more questions that he doesn't have an answer for. Now that he has told his version of the story, he feels a little easier and it helps him concentrate on the essentials. He has to hide Bo away from Aife.

He has prepared for this, years ago, thinking to use the child as a leverage so Aife will come to him. Now that he has known Bo, it is more about keeping them away from each other. Aife is trouble, this much is true no matter his own sins. Already, she has begun to destabilize the hard-won peace between the clans. She must not be allowed to corrupt Bo.

Bo is his now too.

But Bo is too stubborn - apparently it's a genetic trait, Trick muses irritably - and refuses to listen to him. She is still a lost child at heart, craving to know herself and the appearance of her mother - her poor, tortured mother - is too much to resist.

Trick's panic comes back full force then. He doesn't even know why he's panicking, only that he fears everything. What if Aife reveals the truth? He will lose Bo for sure. Or if Aife corrupts Bo, or worse harms her. What if Bo is lucky and hurts Aife instead? It hurts him to even think about it. These two people are what's left of his family and he must... he has to do something.

He urges Dyson to talk to Bo again, making himself sympathize and apologizing for coming between their feelings for each other. And then he hurries to the Ash himself - to warn him - but the young whelp has grown bolder and taunts him instead, more interested in Bo's identity than the threat Aife is posing.

When he gets back home, he is out of sorts and restless, anxious for Aife to come and yet not wanting to face her either. He decides to help with the evacuation of the family of Light elders instead and tries to feel useful.

Kenzi finds him this way and the human shockingly dares to ask him to interfere.

He recoils from her and her words, struggling not to hear her persuasive arguments. He is terrified of using his blood, knowing the consequences and the steep prices they demand. Kenzi knows nothing of this, cannot understand the weight of it, but the longer she talks, the more Trick wavers.

"You're a coward," Kenzi finally says, staring him straight in the eyes. It is like a dagger stabbed directly to his heart. His greatest fear aired out so casually by a human child. "Bo might die tonight," Kenzi continues, "fighting your battle, paying for your sins. And if you really cared for her, there's nothing you won't do to stop that." before she walks away.

Every word feels like a mortal wound and Trick can barely breath, paralyzed by the pain coursing through his blood.

A part of him feels offended and wants to rail against Kenzi's words. He wants to be angry at this human who dared reveal his weaknesses after hiding from them for so long, but he cannot muster the proper rage. There's only sadness and fear that it's happening again.

He is being asked to make a choice again. Aife or Bo. The daughter he has already betrayed or the granddaughter that he only just met and already love.

He must choose one because even he cannot save both.

Yet even as he thinks that last thought, he remembers something and it stirs him.

_Maybe I can_, he thinks, suddenly excited. Maybe there's a way if, like Kenzi said, he cared enough to do it. Maybe this time he can save them both.

xxx

The cut and the distinct, familiar pain in his palm feels like coming home. He breathes in the metallic tang of his blood and lets it all go out in a languid sigh as he feels it start to drip, feels the power gathering inside him coaxed slowly from a long sleep.

And then he dips his pen and writes and writes, filling reams of pages until he knows no more.

xxx

He finds out later that it works.

Or at least it appears to have done so.

Bo is back and safe and Aife is... Bo says she's alive (although Kenzi looked shifty when Bo said it) and loves her enough to save her, knowing that the cost is her own life. The first is good news to Trick who has been feeling constant dread since he used his blood. That latter is what gives him pause.

Despite the centuries gone, Trick is still fairly certain that he knows his daughter and Aife has never really been altruistic. As a former princess of the Light Fae, she has been spoiled and adored by many - not just the ones that fell prey to her special brand of succubi charms - and this deed, even concerning Bo, feels suspicious.

Maybe Trick shouldn't underestimate a mother's love and just believe that it can work miracles.

But that's the problem, isn't it? He worked a miracle of his own that night. He did something that he has rarely tried before, knowing how tricky it was. He used his powers to directly change another being.

It worked, but now he doesn't know what to expect.

He is anxious for a while but his worries gradually gets pushed to the back of his mind as life takes over. There's a new Ash to swear fealty to, a friend to comfort after losing his love to the Norn and then there's Bo too. She's grown more confident with herself and Trick is relieved that the matter of Aife hasn't done much to damage their friendship. He thinks that soon maybe he can reveal the whole secret but for now there's no sense of urgency.

xxx

Trick thinks that maybe they'll get some breathing room for a while, allow them to recover as they slowly rebuild from the damage Aife has managed to accomplish. But not a couple of months has passed before strange news reaches his ears.

At first he disregarded them, feeling too content with the way his work and his life with Bo is working out. But soon they grow impossible to ignore anymore.

Fae have begun to die mysteriously, killed from strange in-fighting amongst themselves, out of outwardly simple provocations. Everyone feels on edge and everyone suddenly seems capable of great rage.

At first he thinks that this was still Aife's lingering influence, that she was still sowing chaos amongst the Light and Dark fae to cause war again. But the unpleasant tingle in his gut tells him that it wasn't Aife's work. It was too... random.

It was bewildering and upsetting to see innocent people die but the final push that triggers action on his part was Nain Rouge's appearance to Bo. Harbingers of doom, even Trick knows little of the Nain Rouge's true nature, except for the fact that they always appear to observe great supernatural events.

It sends a chill down his back to know that his granddaughter was personally visited by such an entity and he is doubly alarmed by Bo's vision: her standing over his dead body. Bo is convinced that this means she will kill him but Trick is not as certain. He knows that visions are never what they seem.

Still, he begins to take active measures to untangle this new mystery that falls in their lap. On the next Blood Moon, he decides to activate the other part of his power: foretelling the future.

Ever since using his blood to save Bo, Trick has began to feel slightly better about himself and less weighed down with guilt. It was as if by unlocking this major part of himself, this blood magic that he has blamed for taking so much from him, he has freed his real self as well.

He knows that the blood will demand its price later, but he accepts it willingly. He is rightfully wary of it, but he realizes too that he no longer fears it.

Instead there is an odd sense of accomplishment in him nowadays, like that of a survivor. He has used his blood to change the world and paid a most terrible price for it **_but_**_,_ he is still standing. He is still alive and he is still capable of happiness, not just mere contentment.

And Trick will remember this moment clearly - as all these thoughts infuse his being with hope and gladness - and feel it stick in his throat like a ball of thistle when he finally gets the answers he's looking for.

xxx

The ceremony of the Blood Moon brings him down like a colossus crashing into earth, tearing him away from his good mood from Bo's birthday party.

First there was the bittersweet vision of his wife, Ysabeau.

There were no words to describe Trick's emotions, seeing Ysabeau again after centuries of quiet, unrelenting grief for her loss. He was almost delirious with joy, scarcely believing his eyes, let alone the feel of her back in his arms.

Therefore it was a brutal blow when he realized that it was an impostor instead (although he did not know if it hurt more because it was an illusion or because he wasn't able to pretend longer), sent to tempt and torment him.

Which brings him to the second part: the creature who dared to impersonate his wife is none other than a Garuda.

The fae are a unique and varied species ranging from the humble Brownie to the seductive siren to the more special types like the Nain Rouge or the Wolf Spirit, or like Trick - a blood sage.

But still above all these are the truly mythical creatures; the ones that one only hears of, whispered in the dark, as stories to scare and tantalize the young. A Garuda is such a one. And when Trick was young, they were already feared although they were less bedtime monsters and more actual threats.

To see one now, especially in his self-induced vision, is more than frightening; for the first time, Trick feels his mortality. He is more than a thousand years old and survived through countless wars, but nothing made him fear for his life as the presence of the Garuda.

For once in his life, he has encountered an enemy that he has no idea of defeating.

Perhaps it was the arrogance of being the Blood King, believing that he was the one of the largest predators: very few others may equal him in power, but none are actually better than him.

Whatever he writes in his blood _will_ come to pass - this is the core of his person.

He is not omnipotent nor invulnerable - he has been caught off-guard and has been hurt through his loved ones, yes - but deep inside him Trick still believed that his blood has no other match. He may bleed to death if he ever attempted to push the limit of his powers, but whatever he writes _will still_ come to pass.

He has believed that until the Garuda.

Right then, Trick is struck by the unshakeable notion that all the blood in the world will not be enough to stop such a creature.

And he has come to Trick specifically, awakened after centuries of waiting, by the scent of the former king's spilled blood.

Fortunately for his sanity, he quickly remembered the one other creature that can stop the Garuda: a Naga. More specifically, its venom.

But much like the Garuda, Trick knows that the Nagas are all but wiped out as well. Long ago, when the Garudas mysteriously disappeared, rumoured to have died off one by one, Trick believed that it was due to the Nagas. The two faes were natural enemies and he figured that they have mutually destroyed each other.

Clearly a false assumption on his part.

This new knowledge weighs heavily on him but he isn't able to brood on it for long because, as is becoming common in his life since Bo came, complications started to arise just two days later.

Kenzi has suddenly taken off for a mini-vacation and Bo, almost immediately, finds herself trapped in a faulty lamp with a genie.

As it turns out, it seems their new Ash is also aware of the Garuda's presence and has begun to stock up his army with powerful creatures.

But before Trick can marvel at the seeming 'coincidences' aligning themselves, he is already disabused of the notion by the Nain Rouge's announcement that Bo, his Bo, is the Champion of Fae.

As he struggles to wrap his mind around this, at the same time he is trying find ways to defeat the Garuda, run his business, continue to help Bo with her "detective" job, worry about Bo's badly hidden relationship with a Dark Loki, worry about her vision of killing him, worry about the still rising death toll of fae under the influence of the Garuda... he is running ragged these days and Trick feels his real age weighing on him heavily. (There's also Lauren's drama that's somewhat relevant to Bo's drama, but since he gave the doctor his books on shamanism, he has washed his hands off of that entire problem.)

A few weeks later, another event happens which jolts him from his anxious thoughts.

As another "non-coincidence", it just so happens that the Inverell is going to be held this year, a very convenient ground in which they can convince the three founding families of the Light Fae of the danger facing them and attempt to garner support.

It is both shocking and upsetting to Trick to learn that despite the hard evidence staring them in the face, the Light continues to deny the existence of the Garuda and downplays the threat he holds. He wonders if this was his fault - if in re-making the world, he has turned his people into sheep, stripping away the brave, fearsome warriors that they have been. The guilt is uncomfortable but it is overwhelmed by a deep sense of dissatisfaction in their situation.

A part of Trick longs to stand in front of all the fae and reveal his real name, and have them all bow to him once more, united and strong under his rule. He is frustrated by the tedious politicking and wishes for a simpler time - when the fae were still bound by their simple tribes but knew how to deal with their enemies more directly.

But he stays silent.

He lets Hale's heartfelt speech be enough.

xxx

Just when it seems like all the problems will never end and the future is looking more and more bleaker, Bo gets herself into another scrape that completely distracts Trick.

This time, she has managed to lose her memory and almost got married to her Dark Loki lover.

The Addonc is simple enough to deal with, but the real worry came from Bo's rising suspicion. He didn't miss her sharp look when he un-binds Ryan - the Loki - from her accidental thrall, and he barely escapes later when she tries to corner him with her questions.

But Trick manages to shake Bo off for a little while yet, needing a bit more time before he can disclose his last secret.

Part of him is still uncertain, still afraid of her possible reaction to their 'real' relationship once it is revealed. He thinks maybe that this is not the time, not when they have to do all they can to prepare against the Garuda.

But the opposite also goes for that argument, as Trick thinks of life finally being too short, of doing all he can to ensure that they have no regrets in life, should they prove unsuccessful in the coming battle.

In the end, like before, the choice is taken from him.

Things started to escalate quickly after the near-miss of Bo's wedding.

Hale astounds him by making a bold decision of bringing him and Lachlan together so they can share more information, and he is beyond surprised and more than relieved to discover that their new Ash is a Naga.

For the first time, Trick begins to believe that there is a larger power guiding these events and that something feels a lot like destiny: a concept that is both easy and hard for him to swallow.

As fae, he is intimately familiar with what humans call "supernaturals" and therefore can accept the idea of omens and prophecies and visions matter-of-factly and look at them "logically". He knows the Norns twine the threads of fate - has actually met one once before! - and for him, they are real persons, not just imaginary figures from epic stories sung through the ages.

And therefore it is this certainty that he has - that humans don't have - which makes it harder for him to admit that there are some things he cannot change; some things that can never be altered even by creatures like him, with all his power.

And despite himself, Trick feels afraid.

He's no longer certain that Bo's vision is only metaphorical and the prospect of dying makes him panic.

He tries to bury it, knowing that it is an exploitable weakness to a hungry Garuda. He becomes colder instead, harder. He grows less patient with his spies and his unfinished plans and Lachlan's cryptic insinuations.

He finds himself frustrated with Bo's wishy-washy attitude over becoming champion, but handling her requires him to be more gentle than he is feeling. Her granddaughter is unexpectedly moody like her mother and Trick knows he cannot just order her around if he didn't want her to do the opposite of what he asks. Instead he leaves her alone and lashes out on Kenzi instead, blaming the tiny human for Bo's hesitation and inability to be more ruthless. More fae.

But it all backfires in his face when Lachlan kidnaps him (!) and brazenly - stupidly - attempts to force him to use his blood to help them. As if Trick hasn't considered it a thousand times before and rejected it a thousand times as well.

And Kenzi makes him feel ashamed, for having the courage to let go of her chosen mate to stay beside Bo instead, and this chaotic life with the fae.

Then the Garuda finally makes his move and all their months of hard work and preparation crumbles in an instant .

Three of their number fall immediately, one of which dealt a massive blow to their meager forces, one a dear friend and the last, the definition of an innocent bystander. Lachlan's death makes him tremble with despair and Ciara's with anger, but it's the death of Lauren's Nadia that hurts his heart most.

It is the notion that a person can be controlled like a mere puppet and that the Garuda will involve the most insignificant of persons in this battle that makes Trick shiver with revulsion and helpless outrage. War has very little rules - and he has known and broken all of them at least once in his life - but the Garuda is conducting a slaughter instead. He is no longer content to play them against one another - to feed on built up rage over the years of warfare - , but is setting up a large banquet instead, where he will gorge himself from the destruction of every fae in this one final confrontation.

This realization is more than disturbing but he is still trying to maintain control of his emotions, trying to bolster morale against the insidious influence of the Garuda's hate, when Bo corners him again and almost tearfully declares that she has figured out that _he is her father_.

The sudden mental image throws him in a dark place he never meant to go to and keeps him off balance enough that he isn't even nervous when he reveals their _real_ connection.

Thankfully, Bo is just plain happy to have found another relative - which makes him relieved and slightly teary as they finally acknowledge each other as family - and she doesn't even linger on the fact that Trick is Aife's father. She is still curious over who her real father is (which brings Trick back down a little) and looks overwhelmed by everything she so obviously wants to ask, but mostly she just seems so genuinely glad to... **_find_**him, that Trick almost feels sorry he has waited so long. Still, they know that they need to stay focused on their current problem and they discuss Bo's thrall power instead.

She asks about their blood and Trick gives her the most basic information he can. The one he wants to impress upon her the most: they are family, but their blood is unique. His can write laws and manipulate the future, but hers will _enslave_ others. He tells her that it's how Aife controlled her "adoring but deadly servants" and true to form, Bo bristles with indignation.

"I am not my mother," she declares firmly and Trick hides an inward smile of relief. Bo must not become like Aife. He will not make the same mistake twice.

"She... she went bad," Bo continues and Trick cuts her off.

"That's just it. This kind of power is addictive. Can lead you to the darkest places of yourself," Trick says and looks grim as he adds, "Go too far and you might not come back."

He is being purposefully dramatic because proud as he was of Bo beyond words - admiring the way she has stood up for her neutrality and her unorthodox approaches to solving problems - he remembers that she is merely thirty years of age - a babe by all rights and purposes! - and he fears that like Aife, she will grow more curious and careless of her powers and turn dark.

But of course things can't be that easy because Bo is stubborn and brave and unpredictable. She makes a comment about extreme measures and in the same breath, asks that he summon the Nain Rouge to "make things up" to her.

He never gets the chance to, because the Nain appears to them then and he watches Bo charm and threaten and successfully persuade the enigmatic fae to reveal all that she knows. Trick finds himself both amused at his granddaughter and still faintly suspicious of the Nain Rouge. (There was a reason he believed Dyson so readily when the shifter declared himself champion. The Wolf Spirit is a figure more familiar to him and less mysterious in her motives than the Nain Rouge.)

Still, the suspicion eventually goes away and the amusement rises to smugness when in a couple of days later, Bo succeeds in combining a powerhouse team of Light **_and_** Dark fae.

xxx

Later, when the Garuda has kidnapped him and showed him how ignorant he still is of all that has happened during the Fae War, there is a clear moment when he realizes that he wants to give in.

He knows what the Garuda is doing, showing him these little 'scenes', but this awareness does not protect him from the pain and horror surging through his body. To find out that Ysabeau died believing that he has betrayed her, that he was the one who has seemingly approved of the ambush... it breaks him. He thought it was just his daughter that he has betrayed, but his wife too? He can scarcely imagine it for the agony it brings him.

And even though Bo was there, and even though he rejected the Garuda's offer, when the Garuda takes over his body, he doesn't fight as hard as he could have. He cringes at the feel of the Garuda's pleased laughter echoing inside him, but his guilt is reserved for the fact that he actually feels relief at that moment. Relief at being able to let go of everything that hurt him and just let the Garuda take over his life.

But the relief only lasts a minute before confusion takes over when the Garuda tries to use his blood. A large part of him thinks that it's not possible, that even if he was being moved like a puppet, the blood wouldn't have any effect. Surely it was the intent that was important and not the mere physicality of writing?

Surely.

But a little part of him continues to doubt and suddenly he is afraid and also...outraged.

The latter emotion quickly takes over the former and although Trick is well aware of the devastating consequences should the Garuda manage to re-write the laws he created, he finds himself more incensed at the Garuda's sheer gall to use him. Him. The Blood King.

Where love has broken him, pride resurrects him and he feels rage build up as he begins to fight off the Garuda's influence.

Trick has always been wary of his powers, always aware of the price he has to pay and _has paid_ in using it; he has tried to deny it and pretended for centuries that his blood was ordinary instead. His powers has caused him more grief than anything in his life, but in every instance _it has always been his choice to use it_. Events and other people may have tried to force him before to use it, but in the end, it was still Trick's choice.

And it makes him angry now, to have his choice taken away by this monster, just because he has the ability to control Trick's limbs like a goddamn puppet!

He can feel the Garuda laughing inside him, feeding gleefully in his rage, but it doesn't stop Trick from feeling that way. He is focused on stopping the Garuda with every effort he can, and barely notices the struggle on the outside world until he feels sudden pain and panic choking him.

He blinks and then realizes what must have happened when he feels the pulling sensation of the Garuda leaving his body. He hears the death scream faintly as his own blood rushes to his head and feels himself stumble and fall.

The next thing he knows is the taste of something pure and good and _light_ in his tongue and he blinks awake to see Bo's crying face above him. He knows immediately what she did and utters a croaked "no" in protest but what's done is done and he's only thankful that Kenzi acts quickly to stop the darkness from taking over Bo completely.

Her granddaughter faints and falls next to him, bringing alarmed cries from both Dyson and Lauren but he waves them off tiredly with an assuring smile. He thinks of the way Bo's voice has changed just now, like she has been taken over by a different being, and thinks that he should worry about that.

But there's time enough for that, Trick muses in relief, now that they've defeated the Garuda.

xxx

The next few weeks brings a new round of problems and much confusion, what with another Ash gone and more of Bo's alarming issues with her "darkness", but Trick is okay with all of it.

He feels different these days. Lighter and happier and easier.

Trick believes it's partly because of imbibing his wife's essence, of having her goodness in him cleansing him of all the guilt and heartache and loneliness throughout the centuries.

Mostly though, he figures that it's about making peace with himself and his powers.

It seems that the final struggle with the Garuda has given him a boost of confidence in himself and his ability to make choices. His powers maybe dangerous, but he has proven to himself that he is able to master them. He has faced the ultimate temptation and was able to turn away from it, with the help of his granddaughter and her absolute faith in him.

He recalls the sensation now, of seeing Bo's distraught face over him, and once again feels the rush of love and the headiness of being **_needed _**by this child made from his blood.

So it doesn't matter if Bo was having problems now, because Trick was here to help her.

And while he was at it, why not try whipping Hale into shape so he can become the proper Ash? He certainly has a lot to teach that boy.

END

* * *

A/N2: Finally! Gah. I can't tell you how glad I am to have finished this. I struggled so hard to write this fic because Trick's voice didn't come as easy as Lauren's always were to me (and I apologize now if it sounded a bit OOC) and also because I have like 2-3 Lauren plot bunny stories that I couldn't let myself get into. Why you ask? Because! I knew if I abandoned this story midway I'll never get back to writing it. So I had to force myself to plod on and on and on... and wait, what am I still doing here?

(Runs off to write a Lauren story!)

(Whoops! Runs back in to say,)

I almost forgot but, thanks so much for reading this lacklustre fic (if you made it here to the end, OR, even if you just took a peek. :D still appreciate it.) and thanks for everyone who's still continuing to favorite/follow and pm me about my other stories. I absolutely love you guys. Thanks!

cheers!

Rabastan04


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